The fox Unleashed
by Hmob1994
Summary: Kyuubi has been let loose, and Naruto's life is in danger... Major OOC. Yaoi, SasuNaru Rated T for violence. Very slight angst, but not enough to add as a Genre.
1. Chapter 1

**A note from ME! **Heya, this is my first Naruto fic… Major OOC, I'm afraid… And yeah, it's a SasuNaru… I'm a major fan girl…

And if I owned Naruto, this would happen. And people would probably hate Naruto…

^.^

**The Fox Unleashed**

Kakashi tightened the bolts on Naruto's arms as he writhed and howled, his shirt lifting up to reveal the old seal. Sasuke and Sakura watched in horror as Naruto pulled on the chains binding him, growling and snapping at his teacher.

"Kakashi, what's happened to Naruto?" Sakura asked, frightened and clutching to Sasuke's arm. Kakashi sighed and frowned.

"The Kyuubi in him has come out so far, that I doubt he'll be able to push it back… even with the seal…" Sasuke's and Sakura's heads shot up in shock.

"Kyuubi?"

"You mean… Naruto…"

Kakashi simply nodded.

"There is a flaw in the seal which keeps the demon locked up, which lets Naruto draw on it's Chakra as well as his own… However, sometimes, whenever he's angry, it comes out without him calling it…"

Sasuke frowned, thinking back to the forest when the change about his normally carefree friend happened…

_They had been assigned a simple task when they had been ambushed. __He didn't know who by, or for what reason. All he knew was that one moment they were racing through the woods, and the next he was waking up, bound to a tree. Opposite him were Sakura and Kakashi, similarly bound and both unconscious, and he supposed that Naruto was on a tree next to him. A muffled groan caught his attention and he looked to his side as much as the ropes would allow to see a shock of blond hair._

"_Sasuke, are you alright?" Naruto whispered._

"_Yeah, I'm fine. Where are we?"_

"_I don't know… I've never been in this part of the forest before…"_

_Sasuke frowned, and pulled lightly on the ropes binding him. He heard a clatter of metal beside him, and tried to lean forward to see what it was._

"_Naruto…"_

"_Yeah?"_

"_Are you tied up by chains?"_

_Another jingle met his ears._

"_Yeah. Aren't you?"_

"_No… just rope…"_

"_Oh…" He could tell that Naruto was troubled by this, but before he could delve deeper, a moan from opposite them made them look up, and they saw Kakashi slowly raise his head. For a moment, he simply looked groggy, but when he__ saw his current predicament, he was instantly alert. He looked around, taking in his surroundings, assessing every inch of the little clearing. He looked past Sasuke and Naruto at the small fire just beyond the clearing they were in, and the dark figures that were moving there. Suddenly, the figures stopped moving, standing still. After a while of hushed whispers, they all started towards the Ninjas. _

"_They're coming…" He whispered to his students, and shifted in his ropes. Sasuke's and Naruto's eyes widened._

"_So…" A drawling voice drifted across the clearing, and a tall man dressed in pitch black stepped across the threshold._

"_This… is the famous Kakashi… and the only Genins he has ever taken on all the way up to the Chunnin exams…" He spat on the floor._

"_Pathetic…"_

_Kakashi watched him silently as the man paced up and down, looking at each in turn._

"_Kakashi… Better known as the copy ninja… Sakura, who apparently got the highest marks in written tests out of everyone in the ninja school… Sasuke, one of the only two Uchiha's alive… And, of course…" The man paused, and stared at Naruto for a long time, while Naruto simply stared back. Them the black clad man broke the silence._

"_The destroyer of families, homes, whole villages…" Naruto flinched, and the man bent down closer to him._

"_I see… despite laws forbidding it… you know… don't you? You know what you are…" The man smirked, but it soon turned into an ugly sneer as he punched Naruto in the stomach. Naruto tried to curl in, but the chains binding him stopped him, and he simply hung his head._

"_Now… who would be best to torment you with before we kill you…?" The man stood up, and walked to the opposite side of the clearing. Two gorilla-like men followed him._

"_The girl? No… I don't think so… there's not a strong enough connection… how about the Sensei, the man who must have saved yours and your friends lives so many times? No… I know who…" He clicked long, pale fingers, and nodded towards Sasuke. Sasuke immediately stiffened, his hand reaching for his Kunai, only to find that there weren't any…_

_The gorillas lumbered over to him, and Sasuke felt a blinding pain as something connected with his head. Blood dripped down his cheek, and his head flopped forward, only to be brought back with a barely held back scream of pain as first one huge man punched him, then the other, their blows connecting to his stomach like bricks. They would have probably gone on to even more terrible things that he didn't want to think about when a low, hate filled voice drifted across the clearing._

"_Don't hurt Sasuke…" The chains binding Naruto snapped and he flung them away like broken dolls as he landed on the floor with more grace then Naruto was associated with._

"_Don't touch him…" He whispered, but the deathly silence that had arrived in the clearing magnified his voice. No even the wind raised its voice above his, the normally almost ear deafening noise the rustling leaves were meant to make were silent._

"_Or I'll kill you…" He finished, and no-one awake in that clearing could doubt his words. Sasuke caught a glimpse of a deep red haze and Blood red eyes as Naruto walked into his field of vision before he blacked out…_

"Naruto…" He whispered. Sakura gave a little sob, and clutched his arm even tighter. For once, Sasuke did not push her off.

Suddenly Naruto bucked again, and the trio could practically hear the chains straining to hold him. Kakashi walked over to Sasuke and Sakura, and touched Sakura on the arm lightly.

"Come on… we need to tell the Hokage about this…"

"Why?" Sasuke chocked out. "What could she do? You said it yourself; Naruto is to far gone to be brought back… Tsunade can't let Kyuubi out… the only thing they could do is… is…" Sasuke shuddered to a hold, and stubbornly held back the tears that threatened to engulf him.

"This is the Hokage's decision to make, and her decision only." Kakashi said sternly. Sasuke looked away.

"Now come on…"

"Yeah… You guys go on ahead… I'll catch up…"

Kakashi and Sakura looked at Sasuke.

"What? You're not coming with us?" Sakura asked.

"I just… look; I'll follow you in a minute, ok?" Sasuke answered.

"But-"

"Sakura, let him." Kakashi said sternly. Sakura looked from Kakashi to Sasuke, and then nodded. She made her way to the door of the dank dungeon Kakashi had chained Naruto in, and turned, waiting for Kakashi.

"Sasuke… I want you to follow in five minutes at the most. If Naruto starts breaking free before then, come immediately." Kakashi ordered, and turned towards the door. He paused when he reached it, and turned back to face the two boys. Sasuke had moved to the slab of stone that Naruto was chained to, and cautiously put his hand on Naruto's arm.

'They may not seem like it, but those two are far more then rivals. Sasuke and Naruto are probably the best friends either have ever had… In fact, Sasuke's probably the closest thing Naruto's ever had to family, and Naruto is more like Sasuke's brother then his own brother is… and maybe… just maybe… they might mean more to each other then even that…' Kakashi smiled sadly, and then turned, beckoning to Sakura to follow. She cast one more look at her team before following.

"Naruto…" Sasuke whispered. His hand let go of Naruto's arm, and travelled up, before lightly landing on his face. His eye's snapped open, and Sasuke gasped, stumbling back.

Naruto's eye's, instead of the usual friendly azure, were blood red. However, it wasn't that which made Sasuke want to turn and flee. Inside, all he could see was an animalistic pure hate for all living things.

"Na… Naruto?" Sasuke whimpered, his commonly cold exterior evaporating.

Naruto ignored him, and pulled on the chains binding him. They snapped easily, and Naruto sat up, looking around him when he finally looked directly into Sasuke's eyes. Sasuke couldn't help but flinch, and Kakashi's words shot through his head.

"_If Naruto starts breaking free before then, come immediately__"_

But he couldn't move. Naruto's eye's bored into him, stripping him away until he could see his very soul.

"Naruto…"

Naruto stepped forward, a sly, devious grin creeping onto his face.

"Boy…" He hissed, stepping forward again. Sasuke scrambled backwards until his back hit the wall and he was forced to stop.

"Please… Naruto…"

"I'm not Naruto. Naruto is not here any longer. From now on…" He paused, and crouched down so that he was eye level with Sasuke, and grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at Naruto. Sasuke shut his eyes tightly, and Naruto grinned.

"Is mine." He finished. Sasuke opened his eyes, and glared at him, taking all the hate he had for his brother, all the pain he had caused, and directing it at his friend turned enemy.

"Fine, Kyuubi. You're right, you're not Naruto. You are the… the thing that caused Naruto fourteen years of pain, of people ignoring him, of people hating, no _Despising_ him. You are the creature that brought him down, that tried to wipe his very existence out of this world. But I promise you, you won't. Not while I'm alive."

Naruto smirked.

"Oh really? And what is Naruto to you then?"

"I'm the person who didn't push him away. I challenged him, and he challenged me. He's my best friend, and…" Sasuke leaned forward until he could feel Naruto's breath ghosting his lips.

"He… is my first love." And Sasuke leaned in the last centimetre, catching Naruto's lips and holding them.

_NO! GET OUT! _He could feel Kyuubi screaming in his head, trying to drag him out as he forced himself into Naruto's mind.

_GET OUT!_

**No. Let Naruto go.**

_NEVER._

Sasuke? A quiet, almost inaudible voice crept into Sasuke's head.

**Naruto?**

Sasuke… So… tired…

**Hold on Naruto. I need your help to****o.**

I'll… I'll try…

Sasuke was aware of the growing need to breath, but ignored it.

_NO! YOU WON'T! YOU CAN'T!_

**Come on, Naruto… he's almost back… just a little more…**

Yeah…

Naruto and Sasuke pushed Kyuubi back with their minds, towards the seal. After what seemed like hours but must have only been minutes, he was trapped, and Sasuke used the rest of his strength to help Naruto redo the seal which held him in place.

Sasuke opened his eyes, and broke the kiss, inhaling a much needed breath.

"Naruto?" He whispered hesitantly. Naruto opened his eyes, and Sasuke was relieved when what met him was fear filled blue, not hate filled red.

"Sa… Sasuke?" A single tear dripped down his nose, and he threw himself forwards into Sasuke's arms.

"So… so helpless… I couldn't breathe… couldn't move… couldn't do anything…"

Sasuke rocked him back and forth, whispering to him under his breath.

"It's okay Naruto… You're back… It's okay…"

The last coherent thought Sasuke had was that for some reason, Kyuubi had gone easy on them, before he fell asleep, Naruto in his lap, with his face resting against his chest and Sasuke's hand resting on his spiky hair.

Deep inside Naruto's soul, Kyuubi stopped cleaning his wounds and created a ball of Chakra which acted like a window to the outside world. He smiled at the sleeping boys, and went back t cleaning his wounds.

"It's about time… the things I do for that boy…" He tutted, and laughed.

**A note from ME! **Yeap… I surprise myself with my fangirlness…

Hey, I'm thinking about doing another chapter for this, just a conclusion explaining why this guy attacked them, if Sasuke and Naruto really end up together, stuff like that. Tell me what you think!

^.^


	2. Wars of the heart and trials of the soul

**A Note from ME! **Yay! Chappie 2!

Lol, I'm hyper on coke, so some of this chapter may seem a bit off…

I was also watching DNAngel at the same time as I wrote this, so at times Naruto seems more like Daisuke from DNAngel…

Thank you to emo-foxkitten, hyuugalove001, mockup-, yagami tsugumi loves yaoi and ChrnoCreations for your reviews! They made me feel all cuddly and loved… ^.^

_Italics are thoughts/flashbacks_

**Bold is scenes with Kyuubi in.**

And, if I owned Naruto, I wouldn't have to write on Fanfiction…

**

* * *

**

Chapter 2

**Wars of the Heart and Trials of the soul**

Naruto rolled over in his sleep, clutching at Sasuke's shirt and murmuring his name silently. He frowned as he realised that the material he had grabbed wasn't Sasuke's shirt, and sat up, wincing as a headache suddenly decided to make itself known.

"Sasuke?" He whispered, looking around. He wasn't in the dank dungeon anymore. Instead he was in a rather plain but tidy bedroom. The bed he was sitting on was plain white, and next to it was a small bedside table. It was completely bare except for a small photo frame, with a picture of Team Seven in it. Naruto chuckled at the memory. He and Sasuke were glaring at each other, their mood not made any better by Kakashi, who was grinning and ruffling their hair. In between them was Sakura, smiling happily, oblivious to the two killing aura's behind her. [1]

Naruto swung out of the bed, frowning when he realised how weak and tired he was when he had to hold onto the bedside table to stop from collapsing.

_If Kyuubi was to try to push through now…_

Naruto started panicking when he realised how helpless he would be.

"Sasuke? SASUKE?!" Naruto stepped forward and collapsed. He pulled himself up, and angrily brushed tears away.

"Sasuke…" He whispered again.

Suddenly a pair of arms wrapped round him, holding him close to a damp chest.

"Don't worry. I'm here, dobe." Sasuke whispered. Naruto relaxed, and leaned back into the arms.

"What was wrong?" Sasuke asked, still kneeling behind him.

"I… I'm scared…"

Sasuke leaned his head against Naruto's shoulder.

"Of what?"

"Of Kyuubi."

Naruto didn't have to say anymore. Sasuke knew that he was worried that Kyuubi might use Naruto's weakened state to push through and take over Naruto's body again. And if that happened, Naruto's and Sasuke's lives wouldn't be the only ones at risk. The whole village would be.  
"Come on." Sasuke said, and helped Naruto up.

"I can walk on my own." Naruto snapped, and snatched his arm away from Sasuke, only to grab him again when his knees started to give in. Sasuke smirked.

"Yeah, I can see that."

Naruto looked at him, and then quickly looked away, blushing, when he realised that Sasuke was only wearing a towel. [2]

_He must have just got out of the shower…_

* * *

**Kyuubi cackled.**

"**Oh, this is going even better then I originally thought it would go!" He sniggered.**

* * *

Naruto looked around.

"Did you hear something?"

"No." Sasuke answered, swinging Naruto's arm over his shoulder and helping him into bed.

"I'm just gonna go get changed." Sasuke said. Naruto nodded, and slipped down underneath the blankets. Sasuke looked at him one more time, before walking back to the bathroom to get changed into his normal shirt and trousers.

He was walking back to his room when the doorbell rang. He stopped, and walked down the stairs instead, to the front door. Unlocking it, he swung it open, only to be assaulted by a streak of pink.

"You're okay!" Sakura practically screamed, her head buried in Sasuke's chest. In her hand were a couple of carrier bags, both of them almost bursting, and in her other was a take-away.

"Sakura…"

"Yeah?" Sakura looked up at Sasuke, tears shining in her eyes.

"I can't breath." Sasuke said simply, and Sakura let go.

"Um… sorry…"

Sasuke shrugged, and turned back to the stairs.

"Um… Sasuke?" Sasuke stopped, and turned to face her.

"Is Naruto… Is he really… Does he…"

"Kyuubi? Yeah. He is."

"Oh… Um…"

"And, Sakura? If you're gonna say anything about it to Naruto…" Sasuke paused, and Sakura looked up at him nervously.

"… Then you can leave right now. He doesn't need to deal with that."

Sakura stared at him, and then smiled.

"Don't worry. I won't."

Sasuke grunted, and started walking back up the stairs, aware that Sakura was following him.

"How is he?" She asked. Sasuke grunted.

"Scared."

"Scared?"

"He's really tired right now. When Kyuubi possessed him, he did stuff that exhausted Naruto, both physically and mentally. He's scared that, now he's so tired, Kyuubi will try to possess him again. And this time, the whole village will be in danger."

"Oh…"

"By the way, what's in the bag?" Sasuke asked.

"Oh, I bought some instant Ramen for Naruto, and I got a take-away for you two to share." Sakura said, motioning to the take-away bag.

"Miso?"

"Um... Yeah…"

"Good." Sasuke lead the way to His room, and opened the door, letting Sakura through first.

"Naruto?" He asked quietly, and made his way to the bed.

"Naruto, Sakura's here…"

Under the covers, Naruto shifted, and poked his head up.

"Heya Sakura…" Naruto said, trying his best to be his usual happy-go-lucky self.

"Hi Naruto. I got you some Ramen." Sakura said, being careful to not mention how awful and tired Naruto looked. Naruto sat up a bit more, a genuine grin gracing his face.

"I'll be right back." Sasuke said, leaving the room and making his way to the living room, not noticing Naruto staring sadly after him.

_He loves Sakura. He's always loved her. Stop being so stupid, you know you can't possibly hope to have him feel the same way about you…_

Sasuke picked up his phone, dialling Kakashi, brushing away a stray tear angrily.

"Kakashi? Has it been sorted out yet?" Sasuke asked, not bothering with hellos. His face soured as he listened to Kakashi's answer, and nodded.

"Fine. Sakura's here, should I tell her as well? Okay." He hung up, and headed back up the stairs. Opening the door slightly, he motioned Sakura to come out of the room to talk to him.

* * *

Meanwhile

Sakura watched as Naruto sighed, and opened up the take-away bag.

"You really love him, don't you?" Sakura asked. Naruto looked up.

"Wha… What?" Naruto looked up, trying to hide his blush. Sakura giggled slightly.

"It's easy to tell."  
"Really?" Naruto looked down, and gently put his Ramen down.

"_He… Is my first love."_

Naruto smiled in the memory of gentle lips against his own. He knew Sasuke didn't think he could hear, but he could…

_Was he telling the truth…? And even if he was… is that how I feel?_

The answer was yes. He did love Sasuke. He had for ages, since before the Chunnin Exams…

In fact, it had been since before they defeated Zabuza. During the time they had spent training, racing up the trees and trying to beat each other, he had felt… something…

"Naruto?" Naruto looked up at Sakura, and grinned, realizing that _he, _UzumakiNaruto, was brooding.

_That's Sasuke's job…_

"Naruto, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine!" He started eating Ramen again, trying to keep his both dark and happy thoughts away. Sakura smiled at him, worried for her team-mate. Suddenly she heard a low cough and looked up. Sasuke was standing in the doorway, in a way that Naruto, lying down on the bed, wouldn't be able to see him, but Sakura would. He motioned for her to follow him, and blended into the shadows, cautious even in his own home. Sakura turned to Naruto.

"Naruto, I'm just gonna see how long Sasuke will take. I'll be right back." She stood up, trying and failing not to notice Naruto's sudden panicked look, and followed Sasuke.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Some of the villagers found out about Naruto's… Episode." Sasuke said with a sigh. Green eyes widened as Sakura gasped and Sasuke's pale hand clamped to her mouth to smother the sound. Neither of them wanted to worry Naruto anymore.

"What… What's going to happen?"

"They want to have a trial to decide whether Naruto stays or goes. But… If Naruto turns up at the trial, there's sure to be riots. If he doesn't show up, then he's got no chance of staying in the village…"

"What are you going to do?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I don't know… I could always try to argue his case for him but…"

Sasuke sighed, and slumped against the wall.

"What do we do…?" He whispered to himself. Sakura knelt next to him.

"It'll be okay. You'll see." And she smiled.

**

* * *

**

Unknown to either of them, although Naruto couldn't hear them, Kyuubi certainly could.

"**Whoops…" He shifted guiltily, before grimacing as Naruto swallowed another mouthful of Ramen.**

"**Disgusting stuff…"**

* * *

Sasuke stared at her.

_She's so positive… Although she has to be as worried as I am…_

"Are you going to tell Naruto?"

Sasuke shook his head.

"He has enough with worrying about Kyuubi. He doesn't need to know." With that he stood up and walked into his room.

"Oi, Dobe. Kakashi called."

Sakura watched them from outside, smiling sadly.

_It's so unfair… Naruto finally gets accepted… and then this happens…_

She stepped in the room, and sat on the edge of Naruto's bed.

"Sakura? Are you okay?" Naruto asked curiously. Sakura nodded and smiled, before sitting back and watching Naruto and Sasuke talk (Argue).

"Alright Dobe. I think that's enough Ramen…"

"Ah, Teme! Please!? Don't take my Ramen away…"

"You need something more filling and nutritional. Ramen won't do you any good."

"But…"

"No buts!"

"Please?"

"NO!"

_Those two are perfect for each other… _Sakura thought, and giggled. _Hurry up and confess!_

**

* * *

**

A Note from ME!

Whoops… and it goes on to another chapter…

Hehe…

It wasn't meant to. I was meant to wrap up all the loose strings on this chapter but then (Sob) I gave it a plot…

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Why do I have such a huge inability to write plain fluff? WHY do I need to introduce an f***ing PLOT!?!?  
WHHHHHHHHY?!?!?!?!?!?!  
Okay, drama over…

PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK OF THIS!

I'll be your friend! And my friends puppy will love you forever, and I'll buy you Pocky…

Pwease?

[1] I don't actually know what Sasuke's room looks like… all I can remember is that he has a photo frame of team seven… I think…

[2] 'Scuse me, does anyone have any earplugs to save my poor ears from the many fangirl moments?


	3. The Confession

**A note from ME! **YES! I finally finished the chapter that was meant to be out up four days ago! Wow, how behind am I? Now I can get on with winter homework! *Sobs*

Nah, only joking. My teachers aren't that mean. I hope...

As always, I don't own. If I did, I'd probably be earning hundreds of quid a week, instead of the measly five quid I get at the moment...

Hope you enjoy it!!

**Chapter 3**

**The Confession (Finally!)**

Sakura stopped by Sasuke's front door, and turned to Sasuke.

"Make sure that Naruto doesn't eat all the Ramen in one day, will you? He'll get sick if he doesn't eat anything else."

Sasuke stared at her.

"What?"  
"You sound like his mum..."

Sakura looked outraged.

"Yeah, well you're possessive enough to be his lover!" She snapped back. Sasuke shrugged.

"Will you be coming back tomorrow?" He asked, looking away from her. Sakura frowned.

"Maybe... Why?"

Sasuke turned to face her.

"Tomorrow, I'll have to go to the trial, and I don't want to leave Naruto on his own. He's already scared, and I have a feeling that I might leave him in the house, only to find that he hasn't moved a muscle..."

Sakura stared at him.

"You... you really care about him." She asked. Sasuke blushed and turned away, something Sakura never expected him to do.

"I... Yeah, a bit..."

Sakura smiled, and turned to leave.

"Don't worry. I'll try to come over." She promised. "I might not be able to, but I'll definitely try, even if it's only for a few minutes."

"Thanks." Sasuke said simply, before turning and walking back up the stairs.

"Dobe? Do you want any...?" Sasuke started as he walked into his room, but stopped when he saw the quivering ball on the bed.

"Dobe? Naruto?" He whispered, sitting on the edge of the bed. He put his hand on Naruto's shoulder, and frowned.

"Naruto? What's the matter?" He whispered as he lightly pulled Naruto towards him in a one-sided hug. It was the only thing he could think of to let Naruto know he was still there for him. His eyes widened when Naruto returned the hug.

"Why are you and Sakura still being nice to me?" Naruto asked as he curled towards Sasuke. Sasuke looked at him.

"Why do you ask?"

"Because... all my life, people have rejected me because of this... thing inside me... but... now you and Sakura know... and... you're helping me..." Naruto looked up at Sasuke.

"Why?"

Sasuke stared at him.

"I... Well... because..." He stuttered, then took a deep breath and tried again.  
"Because, you may be the vessel for Kyuubi, but it wasn't you who killed those people. Hell, you were only just born... why WOULD we blame you? The adults blame you because they want to blame someone for the people they lost. But they're wrong for blaming you. The fourth Hokage sealed Kyuubi in you, hoping that people will see you as a hero... _wishing _people to see you as a hero. And yet, people ignored his last wish, and turned their backs to you... do you honestly expect me and Sakura to agree with that?" He finished. Naruto stared at him.

"That's probably the most I've ever heard you say..." He said, and laughed when Sasuke whacked him on the head.

"But... thank you." Naruto said, suddenly serious. He leaned against Sasuke, and shut his eyes.

"Sasuke?"

"Yeah?"  
"Can I tell you something?"

There was a pause. And then:

"Baka." Sasuke said coolly. Naruto started.

"Huh?"

"Being serious doesn't suit you. If you're going to tell me something, then do it in your normal, loud, impulsive w-"

He was cut off by a pair of soft lips on his, and Sasuke's eyes widened.

_He's..._

_Kissing me?_

Naruto's eyes were shut, and a faint blush lingered on his cheeks. The scar-like whiskers brushed against Sasuke's face as he leaned forward, returning the kiss. He closed his eyes and unwrapped his arms from around Naruto, before wrapping one arm around his shoulders and the other in his hair, pulling him closer and deeper into the kiss. He felt Naruto cling tightly to him, his arms wrapped around his midriff as Sasuke's tongue begged entrance to his mouth, which Naruto gladly gave.

However, all good things had to end, and just as Naruto opened his mouth, the doorbell rung, loudly and obnoxiously, almost as if it was mocking them. Sasuke broke away reluctantly as the doorbell still rung, as if someone was holding their thumb down on the doorbell, and stared at Naruto.

"I ah... I should probably get that..." He said, almost blushing, as he untangled himself from Naruto. Naruto nodded, breathless, and smiled as Sasuke left the room.

Sasuke angrily flung the door open, ready to snarl at whoever was rude and suicidal enough to interrupt him and Naruto, and blinked as Kiba, Chouji, Shikamaru, Lee and Shino all waltzed past, Chouji dumping a bag of chips in Sasuke's arms, and Akamaru resting on Kiba's head.

"Heya Sasuke. Naruto's room this way is it? Thanks for letting us in..." Kiba said as the five of them walked up the stairs. Sasuke stood there, frowning slightly, and closed the door.

"Wait a second, how did you even know that Naruto was here?" He asked. The five boys stopped and turned to look at Sasuke.

"We have our ways." Shino said simply. Sasuke crossed his arms.

"Sakura told you, didn't she?"

"Sakura understands how we worry for the youthfulness of our fellow comrade is, and kindly told us of his new home with you!" Lee stated, crying at how kind his Sakura was.

"Yeah, when we heard what happened, we were really worried, and then Sakura helped us, and here we are!" Kiba said, and started walking back up the stairs. However, he hadn't managed much more than a few steps when Sasuke rushed past him and stood at the top of the stairs, stopping them from getting past.

"Wait... you heard what happened?" Sasuke asked warily.

"Well, yeah..." Kiba answered, unsure how to act around this new, ultra protective Sasuke.

"What have you heard?" Sasuke demanded. Kiba, Shino, Chouji and Lee all turned to Shikamaru.

"So troublesome..."

"TELL ME!" Sasuke yelled, the anger building up in his chest.

"I overheard Kakashi telling the Hokage what happened, and pieced two and two together." Shikamaru said. Sasuke stared him down.

"And?"

"Naruto is Kyuubi." It wasn't a question. Sasuke growled slightly, and was about to deny it when Naruto's door opened. Sasuke turned, frowning. Naruto was leaning against the door, using it for support, and it looked like even the simple act of walking across the room had taken a lot out of him.

"Yeah. That's true." Naruto said, looking at them. Sasuke rushed over to him.

"Naruto, you shouldn't be out of bed..." He said, worriedly. Naruto looked up at him, and smiled.

"I'll be fine." He said, and pushed himself off the door. Sasuke stayed by his side, making sure he was there in case Naruto ran out of energy.

"NARUTO!" Kiba and Lee shouted joyously, and ran over to him, dragging Chouji, Shikamaru and Shino with them to envelope Naruto in a big bear hug. Sasuke smiled, but then his eyes widened when he realised that if Naruto could hear them when they were by the stairs...

"Naruto..." Naruto looked up at Sasuke.

"Yeah?"

"Earlier on, when me and Sakura were talking..."

"Yeah. I know about the trial."

Sasuke had to force down the sudden urge to whack his head.

"Trial?" Kiba asked, suddenly interested. "What trial?"

"The villagers heard about Kyuubi getting loose, and now they want Naruto out of the village." Sasuke said, avoiding Naruto's eyes.

"And... They're putting him on trial?" Shino asked, frowning. Sasuke nodded.

"But... is that even allowed?" Kiba asked desperately. Sasuke shrugged.

"Apparently so..."

"And... if Naruto loses this trial, then he has to leave the village?"

"Yes."

"Forever?"  
"Yeah."

"And this is Naruto? The person who has flunked at every mental test created and who I swear gets through life using brute strength alone?"

"Yeah."

Kiba turned to Naruto and hugged him.

"Well mate, it was nice knowing you." He said as he let go. Sasuke sighed and rolled his eyes at the Theatrics. Naruto grinned, and pounced on Sasuke, hugging him close.

"It's okay!" He said happily, oblivious to the stunned looks he was receiving from the others.

"Sasuke is going to argue out my case for me! Sasuke will be able to save me!" He said happily. Sasuke bit his lip to stop himself from smiling.

"Great, now Dobe?"  
"Yeah?"  
"I can't breathe."

Naruto looked at him and grinned sheepishly, but didn't let go.

"Naruto, let go."  
"No."  
"Naruto..."  
"You're comfy..."  
"I swear if you don't let go I'll-"

Sasuke's empty threat was interrupted when Kiba leaned in to them, frowning.

"What happened to your mouths?" He asked curiously. Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other, then blushed when they realised that their lips were swollen and bruised.

"No... Nothing!"  
"Nothing at all!"` They both blurted out. Shikamaru's eyes widened, and he bit back a chuckle.

_No way... they don't..._

"What exactly were you doing before we came in?"

**Kyuubi chuckled as he watched the two boys blush and stutter their way through Kiba's and Shikamaru's interrogation. **

"**Maybe I should give them a little push in the right direction..." He pondered.**

"**Nah. They haven't properly confessed yet..."**

Naruto frowned.

"Did you guys hear that?" He said. His fellow ninja's turned to him.

"Hear what Naruto?" Shino asked. Naruto shook his head, still frowning.

"It's... never mind. I'm probably imagining it..."

Sasuke frowned at Naruto, then shrugged.

"Look, Naruto needs rest and I'm busy enough looking after him without having to act as nurse maid for you idiots. Would you please leave?" He asked, careful to make sure it didn't sound like begging. (Uchiha's never beg.)

Shikamaru shrugged.

"Okay, we'll leave you two to do... whatever it was you were doing." He said, grinning at the blushes that he received. Lee leaped to Naruto's side.

"I hope the power of youth guarantees your chances of getting better soon!" He said joyfully. Naruto sweatdropped.

"Um... Yeah, sure..."

_If Kyuubi doesn't heal me before then, that is... _He thought. He smiled as he watched Sasuke clear out his house, forcibly evicting the five young ninjas.

"You'd have thought that they would have become less rowdy once they became fully-fledged ninja's..." He muttered as he climbed back up the stairs.

"Naruto, are you o... NARUTO!" He yelled as he saw Naruto collapse. He rushed over to his side, catching him before he fell.

"Baka… you over-exerted yourself…" He muttered as he helped Naruto back to his room.

"Sasuke, I'm fine…" Naruto grumbled, but still let Sasuke help him into bed.

"'Course you are…" Sasuke answered, almost smiling.

"Come on, it's dark out now. You have to go to sleep." Sasuke said as he began to leave the room, intending to get one of the sofas ready for himself. He was stopped when Naruto grabbed his hand, and when he turned round, Naruto's startling blue eyes gazed into his own, almost as if he was begging him…

"Please… stay?" Naruto asked shyly. Sasuke felt his heart leap, but he didn't show it. Instead he sat down on the bed, his cool exterior almost broken when Naruto laid his head on his lap.

"Thank you… Sasuke…" He said sleepily. Sasuke smiled slightly, pleased for the dark that enveloped them, preventing Naruto from seeing the blush that he knew had to be gracing his normally pale cheeks. Gently he pushed Naruto to the side so that he could lie down, and unconsciously sought Naruto's hand in the dark. He gripped it tight when he found it, promising Naruto that he wouldn't leave. His squeeze was answered when Naruto rested his head against his chest.

"Sasuke?"

"Hm?"

"… 'Love you…" Naruto said nervously. The butterflies in his chest grew in the answering silence. He was about to turn round, cursing his idioticness[1], when Sasuke spoke.

"Love you too."

Naruto smiled softly, and buried his head into Sasuke's chest, feeling completely at ease when Sasuke let go of his hand to wrap his arms around his waist.

"Goodnight…" He whispered, as he slipped into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

**A note from ME! **Phew, five pages! The longest chapter yet…

And yet it's STILL not finished! I was meant to do the trial in this scene, and put them together at the end…

Instead it's all FLUFF! It's Mr Fluffedy Fluff Fluffo from Fluffland, Fluffania… And so's its dad…

Yeah, you wouldn't get that unless you loved the second series of Doctor who as much as I did…

PLEASE Review! (In other words, Reveiw or else I'll break up Sasuke and Naruto! Nah, I'm not that mean... or AM I...?)

[1] Yeah, I know there's no such word. Just go along with it... please?


	4. The Trial

****

A note from ME!

I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm SOOOOOOORRY!

I was meant to have this out MONTHS ago!

Seriously, I have had the biggest dose of writers block imaginable!

And then I was off sick yesterday, and suddenly this is here!

So, once again, SOOOOOOOOOOORRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If I owned Naruto, I'd have been fired by now...

D=

**Bold=** Kyuubi/ Writing.

_Italics=_thoughts/actions

**/Slashed/=**crossed out

* * *

**Chapter 4**

**The trial**

Kakashi checked his pocket, making sure he had his digital camera and cell phone, before opening the door and walking into Sasuke's room. He stood at the foot of the bed for a while, watching the two sleeping boys, before pulling his phone and camera out. He swiftly took a photo on his phone, keying in Sakura's number to send it to her, and changed his camera to video mode. He put the camera on the foot of the bed, filming Naruto and Sasuke. He left it for a minute before going round the bed so he was also in the camera. He pulled out a wad of large papers and a thick marker, scribbled something on it and turned it to the camera.

**These are my students Naruto and Sasuke.**

_Scribble, scribble._

**They ARE asleep, and they don't know I am here.**

_Scribble, scribble._

**I think they don't realize that all of us know about their relationship.**

_Scribble, scribble._

**And yes, they are both boys.**

_Scribble, Scribble._

**Now, everyone say Awwww…**

_Scribble, scri-_

"Kakashi, what the hell are you doing?"

"…"

_Scribble, scribble._

**/Now, I'm going to get out of here before they wake/ ****Shit. **[1]

Kakashi rushed over to the camera, and the screen went blank.

"Erm… Hi, Sasuke! How are you?" Kakashi stuttered nervously, eyes darting to the window.

_If I'm quick, I might be able to reach it in the time it takes for him to wake up properly…_

"Kakashi…"

"Well, I was making my way to the market to buy some more milk when a giant eagle swooped down and picked me up and carried me all the way to your house…"

Sasuke stared at him.

"Oh really? And how did this eagle get in to my house?" Sasuke asked, one eyebrow raised.

"… It was a very smart eagle!" Kakashi protested weakly. Sasuke sighed, and unwrapped himself from Naruto.

"How did you even get keys to my house?" Sasuke asked.

"Sakura."

"Figures. Naruto, you have to let go…" Sasuke said, distracted as he gently tried to tug his shirt out of Naruto's hands.

"While I'm here, I might as well take you to the trial…" Kakashi suggested as he watched Sasuke try to reclaim his shirt with amusement.

"Yeah, that sounds great… Damnit, Naruto! Let go!" Sasuke gave up, and instead slipped out of his shirt, leaving it in the tight grip of Naruto, who curled himself around it, murmuring happily. Sasuke sighed, biting down the smile that was trying to inch its way onto his face.

"I'm gonna change, then I'll meet you in the living room." Sasuke said, effectively dismissing Kakashi as he opened his drawers. Kakashi shrugged and left the room. As soon as he heard the door closed, Sasuke leaned forward, resting his head against the door. Although he wasn't physically tired, his felt exhausted.

_First Kyuubi, now this? Hell, I still need to try to get Naruto stop being so afraid to stay in a room on his own!_

"Sasuke? What's wrong?" Sasuke turned round when he heard Naruto's voice sleepily calling him. Naruto sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, and grinned at him.

"It's… nothing." Sasuke said. Scoping some clothes out of the closet, he started to make his way out of the room when he noticed that Naruto had gone bright red.

"Naruto, are you all right?" He asked, worried. Naruto just nodded, still blushing, and Sasuke noticed that instead of his face, Naruto was staring at his chest. He looked down at his chest. Smooth muscles were clear, even at his age, and the many scars that Sasuke had gotten from Haku and the Chunnin exams were clear across his stomach. He smiled slightly.

"Is there any chance I can have my shirt back soon?" He asked jokingly. Naruto, if possible, blushed even more when he noticed that he was still holding Sasuke's shirt. Shyly, he offered it to Sasuke, who shook his head.

"Nah, you can keep it, seeing that you're so fond of holding onto my shirt…" Sasuke grinned at him, and headed out of the room to have a shower and get changed.

* * *

Once he had clean clothes on, Sasuke felt much better, and made his way back to his room to tell Naruto what was going to happen.

"Hey, dobe?" He called, as he walked into his room, drying his hair with his towel.

"Yeah?" Naruto answered happily, staring at the towel curiously.

"Sakura should come around at some point today. She'll let herself in. I think Kiba and Lee are probably going to make some sort of appearance today as well…" He trailed off when he noticed Naruto staring at the towel.

"What?"

"So… how much gel do you use to get your hair so… chicken buttish?"[2] Sasuke felt a vein twitch.

"My hair… is not a chickens butt…"

Naruto grinned, seeing he had touched a nerve. Annoying Sasuke was one of Naruto's favourite things to do. Besides kissing him, that is...

"It does look a bit like a chickens butt..."

"It does not!" Sasuke yelled, appalled. He paused.

"Does it?" Naruto let him brood, but he looked so heartbroken, that he decided to take pity. [3]

"Don't worry. I like the chicken butt look." Sasuke glowered at him as Naruto laughed.

* * *

When Sasuke got downstairs, Kakashi was busy helping himself to some breakfast. Sighing, he walked over to him.

"Make something for Naruto as well, will you?" He asked, as he sorted out a frying pan of eggs frying which Kakashi had overlooked.

"Yeah, I am." He said, turning sausages over in another frying pan and flipping a pancake in still another. Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"An English breakfast?"

"Yeap. Not the healthiest of meals, but surprisingly satisfying, once you get around the grease." [4]

"Right..." Taking the eggs off and separating them onto three different plates, he watched as Kakashi divided the six pancakes, twelve sausages, nine pieces of bacon, three hash browns, three tomatoes and a pan full of beans between the three of them.

"Kakashi-Sensei... I don't think Choji would be able to eat this much in one sitting, never mind us..." [5]Kakashi waved away his comments, walking up the stairs carrying two plates while leaving Sasuke to carry the third.

"Hi Naruto! I've made breakfast!" Kakashi said cheerfully. Naruto stared.

"Kakashi-Sensei... when did you get here?"

"A while ago." He placed a plate in front of Naruto, and sat down to eat his own breakfast. Naruto's eyes grew wide, and his hand reached for the phone besides his bed.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked.

"Calling Choji..." Naruto said. Kakashi frowned.

"Why?"

"Because you've given me so much to eat, I'm going to have to call reinforcements..." Naruto laughed when Kakashi try to hit him around the head and he ducked.

"Just eat. And don't let anyone say I don't look after my students." Kakashi said warningly, brandishing a fork.

"Hey, if you really want to prove that you look after your students, when this whole thing is over, you could always buy us some Sake..." Naruto laughed to show that he was joking, and dived into his meal with a hearty "Itadakimasu".

Sasuke watched him, absentmindedly picking at his own breakfast.

"_When this whole thing is over"... He really does have a lot of faith in me..._

Sasuke frowned when Naruto paused, and put down his fork.

"Sasuke, when did you say Sakura is coming over?" He asked, thoughtfulness etched across his face. Sasuke assumed – wrongly – that he was still worried about Kyuubi breaking out.

"I'm not sure. I don't know if she's even going to make it today..." He said, frowning.

"But I'm sure she'll do her best... And Kiba and Lee will probably make a visit to make sure you're okay... They'll probably be here at about mid-dayish..."

"Okay." Naruto said, still looking thoughtful, but seemed to be a bit happier as he continued to eat his breakfast.

* * *

Naruto waited until he could hear Sasuke's front door slamming shut before he sat up.

"Hello?" He called, and waited for an answer. When he received none, he pressed on.

"I know you're there... can you answer me?"

* * *

**Kyuubi frowned, and sensed the room expectantly, and huffed when he found nothing.**

"**Damn boy's getting paranoid..."**

* * *

"There! I heard you... just now..."

* * *

**Kyuubi perked his ears, tails stilling behind him.**

"**Who, me?"**

"Yeah, you... Kyuubi..."

"**You can hear me?" **

Kyuubi's voice sounded surprised, like he wasn't meant to hear him.

"**Well, of course you're not meant to hear me! It's not like you have ears on the inside, is it?"**

"Wait, can you hear my thoughts?"

"**Of all the stupid... Yes I can hear your thoughts. How else was I meant to know that you fancied the Uchiha boy? If I couldn't read your thoughts, I wouldn't know when to help you out!**

"Help me out? You've been helping me?"

"**There's no need to speak out loud. And yeah, of course I've been helping you..."**

_Why?_

"**Honestly... I've been helping you because it's infuriating listening you go on and on and on and on and on about that Uchiha kid. Keeping you happy keeps me happy. You have the guy of your dreams, and I don't have to listen to your moaning all the time! We're both happy!"**

_I don't moan!_

"**Not out loud, I'll admit, but in your head..."**

**Kyuubi shuddered.**

"**I am sick of the amount of pointless fantasies that comes pouring in here..."**

Naruto blushed.

_Go... Gomen..._

"**This is interesting... I wonder why, after fourteen years, you're only just starting to hear me..."**

_Maybe the seal has weakened from the amount of times I've used your Chakra... or me and Sasuke didn't replace the seal properly..._

Naruto frowned. If the seal had weakened...

"**Don't worry. I'm not going to break out."**

_But I thought you wanted to create havoc and chaos...._

"**Are you kidding me? How was I meant to know that just swinging my tail caused tsunamis and tornadoes and whatever else! If the people in Konoha had just talked to me, then you would have a normal life, and I'd be far away in some mountain range, relishing my freedom..." **[6]

_So... you want freedom?_

"**Well, yeah, but that doesn't mean that I'm gonna wreak the village trying to break out! Besides, do you know how painful the sealing process is? If I break out, they'll just get the Hokage to seal me all over again... I've still got singes in my fur from the rubbish attempt you and Sasuke had of sealing me..."**

_Oh..._

Naruto thought about this curiously, trying to ignore Kyuubi's constant tuts and _tsk_'s as he thought the whole situation through.

_So... that means that... the trial..._

"**Crap, the trial! I forgot about it! Quickly, we need to go and help Sasuke. Don't you say anything which you thought of yourself, that will just get us into even more trouble. Just copy me..."**

_Problem._

"**Huh? What?"**

_I still can't stand up for a long amount of time. When you possessed me, you pushed my body to the extreme._

"**Ah... sorry..."**

_To be honest, I was a bit surprised that I wasn't already better..._

"**I may be able to fix cuts, bruises, breaks, illness and whatever else, but I can't replenish your Chakra without you using mine..."**

_Oh..._

* * *

"Naruto!" Naruto and Kyuubi jumped when they heard Sakura, and looked up.

"Hey Sakura..." Naruto said, smiling warmly. Sakura smiled back.

"You're looking better."

"I feel better!" Naruto grinned, but it faded into a thoughtful frown.

"Sakura... the trial..."

"It'll be okay, Naruto. Sasuke will sort it out." Sakura said soothingly, sitting next to Naruto.

"I need to get there myself... I can't rely on Sasuke all the time..."

"Naruto, it will only make things worse for him if you go to the trial..." Naruto looked up, anger clear on his face.

"I can help him! I know I can..."

"Naruto, I never said you wouldn't be able to! I just meant..." Sakura sighed, before continuing.

"Look, until you're cleared, and maybe even for a while after that, it will be dangerous for you to leave this house. People were already suspicious of you, and now that they have proof that Kyuubi can break out..."  
"But he won't destroy the village! He didn't mean to the first time..."

Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"We were just talking, and-"

"You can _talk _to it?"

"Him. Kyuubi's a boy. And yeah..."

"Look, Naruto, has it occurred to you that he might be lying?"

"I know that he isn't!"

"Okay..." Sakura paused.

"Well, even if he isn't, if you go into the trial, and say that Kyuubi has been talking to you, people will either think that he's lying, you're lying, or you've gone mad. None of them are going to help Sasuke."

"But I'm not..."

"I know you're not lying or mad, I trust you... but there are people at this trial who want you dead, never mind exiled..."

"But..."

"Naruto, they think you're a monster..."

* * *

"Naruto's not a monster!" Sasuke yelled in anger, slamming his hands on the table and standing up. The people around him tutted, and the man opposite him smirked. Sasuke grit his teeth and clenched his fists as Kakashi put a calming hand on his shoulder. Desperately, Sasuke looked to Tsunade, who was acting as judge.

"Please, Hokage, you've met Naruto... you met him when him and Jiraya were searching for you, begging you to become Hokage. Did he seem like a monster to you?"

Tsunade looked slightly taken aback, but shook her head.

"No. Naruto seemed like a bright, if annoying, young boy. He tried his hardest to learn the Rasengan Technique, which he did, in just a week."

"See?" Sasuke asked, turning back to the jury, ignoring his opponents growing smirk at the increasing desperation of his arguments.

"Surely you can't have forgotten what happened during the Chunnin exams, where Gaara of the sand village lost control of his one-tailed Demon. Then, Naruto was able to stop him from killing. Not a single life was lost due to the demon. And, at the same time, he was able to keep control of his own demon.

"I have been working alongside Naruto for over a year, and this is the first possibly harmful display of Kyuubi he has used. Even then, it was protecting me..." Sasuke trailed off. He remembered that the village didn't know this part of their tale. The rest of the village just thought that Naruto had randomly lost control.

"Sasuke, what do you mean?" Tsunade asked, leaning forwards in her chair. She hadn't wanted this trial. She was all for letting the whole matter slip by. But the rest of the village were baying for Naruto's blood... quite literally, in some cases...

So Sasuke told them about how they were ambushed, and the incredible knowledge their ambusher had on all of them. He told them how the gorilla men had beaten him up, and it was only the anger Naruto felt that released Kyuubi and saved Sasuke before they could kill him. He explained how Kakashi had managed to contain Naruto, and how, with Kyuubi's strength, even when possessing Naruto, should have prevented Kakashi from stopping him, and how easily Kyuubi had broken the chains once Kakashi and Sakura had left. He missed out some details then, and said that, just as Kyuubi was about to kill him, Naruto managed to defeat him, pushing his own mind back into his body, saving him for the second time that day...

The court room stared at him in awe.

"Naruto did all that?" One of them asked. Sasuke nodded.

"And I think that the whole time, Naruto was actually restraining Kyuubi, preventing him from killing anyone or escaping and causing havoc to the village..." He paused, and looked at his opponent. The smirk had long since disappeared, and he even looked a bit pale. Sasuke guessed that he was winning.

_Don't get cocky..._ He reminded himself, before continuing.

"Naruto loves this village. Despite everything that has happened, and the way he has been treated by... everyone, including me at one point, he would kill himself before he let Kyuubi wreak this village." Bowing once to Tsunade, and again to the Jury, he sat down again.

He watched as the Jury whispered to themselves, and eventually, Tsunade stood up.

"The Jury and I shall make our decisions, and they shall be revealed tomorrow. In the meantime, everyone can go home." And with that, she beckoned the Jury towards a door at the back of the room, ignoring the sudden chatter which broke out behind her.

* * *

Sasuke tiredly opened his door, and walked towards the kitchen. He got out a tomato from the fridge, and turned, about to leave the kitchen and check on Naruto, before freezing.

"What... on... earth...?"

His once spotless kitchen looked like someone had let a combination of Sakura, Kiba, Lee and Choji out with a barrel load of waffle ingredients.

This, as it turned out, is what had happened.

Broken egg shells lay scattered across the floor. Flour covered every available surface, and smeared butter fingerprints were everywhere. White paw prints led across the floor and on to the work surface, and every single cupboard had been left open, some swinging gently in the breeze of an open window. However, when Sasuke stepped closer, it was apparent that the window wasn't open, but shattered, as if a foot had gone straight through it. A green spandex covered foot, if Sasuke wasn't mistaken. A closer look told him that Shino had tried to help as well...

Sasuke sighed.

"I swear, when I get my hands on them..." Ignoring the mess for the moment, Sasuke climbed up the stairs towards his bedroom. Opening the door, he was shocked to find what looked like every Genin in the village and two Chunnin were packed around Naruto's bed. He blinked. Sakura was sat, cross legged, at the end of the bed. Next to Naruto in the only chair was Hinata, blushing furiously at being this close to her crush. Next to her were Neji, Lee and Ten-Ten, all smiling slightly. Kiba and Shino were on the other side of the bed, and Ino, Shikamaru and Choji sat cross legged in a triangle. What amazed Sasuke even more was that, leaning casually against the wall were Gaara, Temari and Kankura, who were next to a very uncomfortable looking Iruka.

Sasuke blinked, and the rest of the occupants in the room turned to face him.

"I'll... I'll go clean up the kitchen..." He said, stunned. At this, Sakura's eyes widened.

"Oh no! I was going to clean it up before you came back!" She exclaimed, and stood up, hurtling out of the room and down the stairs. Assuming that this was a ploy to get Sasuke to like her, Ino followed. Hinata stood up.

"We should help too..." She said shyly. Grumbling slightly, Kiba and Shino followed her out of the room. Silently, Gaara walked past him, followed by his team mates. Lee looked beggingly at Neji, and, sighing, Neji and Ten-Ten followed him in his never ending quest to impress Sakura. Choji poked Shikamaru, and with a "So Troublesome", they left the room, followed by Iruka, who explained that he should make sure they didn't wreak the kitchen even more.

Sasuke frowned.

"What... just happened?" He asked Naruto, confused.

"You don't get many people in your house, do you?" Naruto asked simply. Sasuke just shook his head, before walking over to Naruto and sitting down.

"How did the trial go?" Naruto asked anxiously. Sasuke looked at his worried face, and smiled ever so slightly.

"It... went great." And he leaned over to give Naruto a kiss.

Outside the door, Sakura did a little victory dance.

"See? I told you!" She whispered. The thirteen ninja's around stared into the room in amazement.

"I have been converted." Ino said. Ten-Ten, Hinata and Temari nodded.

"Well, in that case, I have pictures and a video of them sleeping in the same bed." They turned around to see Kakashi with an armload of pictures and videos.

"As well as that I've got them fighting each other in some very suggestible positions and them fighting side by side..." He fished through the photos, showing some examples.

"And I've even got some of their very first kiss..." He showed a picture which someone had taken in ninja school, featuring the accidental kiss.

"All for the low price of 300 yen." Him and Sakura grinned as a flurry of offers where shoved into his hands.

"Split 50-50?" Kakashi asked. Sakura nodded.

"Deal."

* * *

**A note from ME! **There. Eight pages.

...

...

Are there still any murderous intentions?

Hello?

PLEASE! DON'T LEAVE ME IN SUSPENSE ABOUT MY DEATH! TELL ME!

In other words, please review...

Even if it is a death threat...

*gulp*

* * *

[1] My friend did this. She and her two mates went camping, and when she woke up they were huddled up together so she made a vid of it, but her mates woke up halfway through.

[2] It DOES look a bit like a chickens but... *Dodges murderous fangirls*

[3]Sasuke just seems to me to be the type of guy who spends hours on his hair, but would never admit it.

[4] I've recently tried a full English breakfast.  
I don't like it.

[5] I said this to my dad when he was making a full English breakfast. He didn't get it.

[6]Yeah, I know that that isn't right. I'm making it up as I go along.


	5. Just a while moreThe Jury's decision

**A note from ME! **Well. Here it is. The BIG conclusion. I had been trying to get this done by the 25th, but I was really busy.

If I owned any sort of Anime, it would be centred around cute little fluffy yaoi moments in bed, and hot make out scenes on tv.

**Bold is Kyuubi**

_Italics is thoughts/Flashbacks._

**Chapter 5**

**Just a while more**

Naruto slowly opened his eyes, stifling the yawn that had built up in the few seconds he was awake, and frowned in disappointment that he was, once again, left alone in bed. Sitting up, he stretched, and messed up his already unruly hair. He looked around for evidence of Sasuke's departure, but, as always, the room was spotless. Even the sticky plate which had held the waffles were gone. Sighing, Naruto stood up, holding onto the bed in an effort to make the room stop lurching in that horribly sickening, make-you-want-to-throw-up way...

_That's new..._

"**You'll probably get that for a few days. At least you can stand up!"**

_Are you still here?_

"**Not like I can leave, is it?"**

_Huh... good point... Well, can you do anything about the dizziness?_

"**You're replacing an awful lot of Chakra in your body, you're bound to feel dizzy... it's mostly mental, you know..."**

Still grumbling, Kyuubi set to work, and slowly, the room stopped tilting.

"**Don't get used to this... You've already got Sasuke dotting on you hand and foot..."**

_Yeah, whatever..._

Pulling on a top from Sasuke's cabinet and scowling at the mundane colour, Naruto rushed out of the room and down the stairs, noting every single detail. Apart from the bedroom, Naruto had never seen Sasuke's house. It was spacious, much more so then his own tiny apartment – The Uchiha clan must have been rich, if Sasuke had been left enough money to afford to live in this place for the past 14 or so years.

"Rich bastard..." He muttered, and paused on the stairs, looking at a picture hanging on a wall. Or rather, the back of a picture. Carefully, Naruto turned the frame round, and stared at the picture.

A young Sasuke was sat, cross-legged, in the middle, grinning up at the photographer. A dark haired woman was knelt next to him, laughing as she brushed a strand of hair from her face, and behind her, standing up, was a light brown haired man with the same Onyx eyes as Sasuke. And on the other side of Sasuke...

Someone – presumably Sasuke – had slashed the picture with a Kunai, leaving a hole which the brown of the picture frame behind it peeked through. That had obviously been where Itachi had once stood. Naruto couldn't imagine the imposing Sharingan user at their age. He could not imagine that someone who had killed his own parents and sent his little brother through 72 hours of hell had ever had the innocence of a young child. Frowning, Naruto turned the picture round again. He wondered why Sasuke hadn't gotten rid of the picture if he was just going to leave it facing the wall so that he wouldn't see it anyway...

"**Maybe he couldn't get rid of it?"**

_That doesn't make sense..._

"**Well, presumably, that picture is one of the few reminders Sasuke has of happier times, when he had parents, and his older brother hadn't turned into an evil, crazy psychopath intent on – if he's anything like **_**normal**_** evil, crazy psychopaths – ruling the world or delivering the world to his master...**

_Normal evil, crazy psychopaths?_

"**Well, there's Orochimaru, and Gato..."**

_Right... so, getting rid of the picture would be the same as getting rid of his memories?_

"**Yeah."**

The fact that this one photograph, which had been vandalised and discarded, could be so important to Sasuke, who seemed to find small trinkets useless and pointless, was one which Naruto did not find convincing, but at the same time...

_He could be trying to remind himself of the person HE used to be... And the person he could be..._

**Kyuubi pondered this, one of his vast tails wrapped lightly around his neck like a feather boa.**

"**Huh, I never expected you to be this insightful..."**

_What's that meant to mean?_

"**Nothing..."**

Frowning, Naruto continued down the rest of the stairs, and walked into the kitchen.

"Sasuke? Sasuke, are you there?"

"Naruto?" Naruto smiled at Sasuke's familiar, deep voice.  
"Heya!" He said brightly as he sat down next to the Uchiha descendant at the wooden table. Sasuke looked at him.

"I didn't think you'd be walking for a few more days." He commented coolly, taking a sip of coffee from a pale blue china mug. Naruto chuckled, embarrassed.

"Yeah, well... I heal quickly..." He said, scratching the back of his neck. Sasuke nodded.  
"That makes sense." He drank the rest of the coffee, before standing and placing the mug in the sink. He checked the clock.

"I need to head out. The jury are making their decision today." The taller boy straitened his shirt as he started out to the hall.

"Sasuke..." Sasuke turned to meet Naruto's eyes.

"Yeah?" He asked, noncommittally. Naruto's blue eyes dropped to the floor, his hands fumbling with the hem of his borrowed shirt.

"I... I'm... I've put you in..." Sasuke started as a single small tear escaped from the blonde's eye, and started to cross the room back towards him. Naruto turned away slightly.

"I'm... I'm sorry... It's my fault..."

"Don't say that." Sasuke interrupted, wrapping his arms round the smaller boy and hugging him, pressing Naruto's back to his chest.

"It's not your fault. It might not even be Kyuubi's fault, not entirely..." Naruto started.

"Did... Did Sakura tell you about Kyuubi?" He asked.

"How you were talking to Kyuubi yesterday?" Sasuke chuckled. "Yeah. She told me."

"Oh..."

"It's interesting... how, after thirteen years, you can actually talk to it-"

"Him." Naruto interrupted automatically.

"Whatever. Can you hear him now?"

**Kyuubi sniffed at this.**

"**You'd think I can't hear him, the way he speaks about me.**

_Shut up_

"Yeah, I can."

Sasuke nodded, resting his head on the top of Naruto's.

"I see..." Gently, he kissed the top of the blonde mane, tightening his grip possessively around Naruto. When he spoke, Naruto could hear the slight crack in his voice.

"Never... NEVER blame yourself. It's not your fault." He held Naruto for a few seconds longer. Naruto leaned back, his head resting on Sasuke's chest.

"Thank you Sasuke..."

Sasuke tugged nervously at his shirt, biting his bottom lip.

"Sasuke, calm down." He looked up at Kakashi's calming voice, and smiled weakly.

"Yeah..." After a few minutes, Kakashi sighed and put a hand on Sasuke's shoulder.

"You're not calming down." Sasuke looked up at him again.

"Yeah I am?" It sounded more like a question then a retort.

"No, you're not. You've been biting your lip for the past ten minutes, it's bleeding." Sasuke frowned, and ran his lip gingerly across his bottom lip, and winced at the sharp pang and the metallic taste of blood on his tongue.

"Oh... Right..." Closing his eyes, he ran through the calming exercises Kakashi had taught the team a while ago. He smiled at the memory.

"_Naruto, stop squirming." Kakashi sighed, closing his Icha Icha paradise, exasperated._

"_I can't, it's boring!"Naruto snapped, uncrossing his legs and flopping backwards onto the soft grass._

"_Naruto, I know that you've got the attention span of Akamaru, but this is something that you have to learn. A good ninja-"_

"_Knows how to control his feelings. I know." Naruto sighed, and closed his eyes. Kakashi looked thoughtful, and Sasuke uncrossed his legs too, glancing over at Sakura. Like Naruto, he had been having problems dealing with his emotions, but he had been doing better than the blonde idiot. Sakura on the other hand, just like anything that dealt with using her head, was a born natural. She didn't seem to have even noticed Naruto's loud complaints. Kakashi frowned, his one visible eye concentrating on the disgruntled Genin._

"_Maybe you could try a different method..." He said slowly. Naruto looked up._

"_A different method? Like what?" He asked, curious. Sasuke listened too._

"_Think of one yourself. The best comforting methods relate to the person." Kakashi answered lazily, opening his book again. Naruto frowned, before his confused expression cleared._

"_I get it!" He let himself lie down, flat on the ground, his yellow hair mixing with the green grass. His eyes closed, and Sasuke watched, fascinated, as the hyper blondes breathing slowed. An hour later, Kakashi looked up from his book once again, and nodded._

"_Okay, you lot can go." Sasuke was mildly surprised. He hadn't found a way to calm himself at all..._

"_Sasuke-Kuuuuuuun!" Sakura chorused, attaching herself to his arm. Sasuke sighed._

"_Sasuke, do you wanna get some Ramen?" Naruto asked. Sasuke raised one eyebrow. Normally he asked Sakura to Ramen... still, he nodded, thankful for the chance to get away from Sakura's death grip._

_It was while Sasuke was watching Naruto pile Ramen into his mouth that he realised his calming technique._

"_Naruto..." The smaller boy looked up, a tendril of Ramen hanging from his mouth._

"_Hmm?"_

"_How did you calm yourself?" Sasuke asked, curious. Naruto swallowed, sucking the string of Ramen back into his mouth._

"_I thought of good memories." He said simply, leaning over and shovelling another spoonful of the noodles and soup. Sasuke frowned._

"_Good memories?"_

"_Yeah. Mostly times with team seven." Naruto spoke through his mouthful of food. Sasuke's frown deepened. It made sense. Team Seven was Naruto's friends... his first friends._

"_What about you?" Sasuke jumped, and looked at him._

"_Me?" He smirked at Naruto's eager nodding._

"_That's a secret." He turned to his own bowl of Ramen, inhaling his first spoonful. After all, how could he tell Naruto, his best friend and rival, that it was watching him that calmed Sasuke?_

"Sasuke, it's time." Sasuke opened his eyes at the sound of the courtroom rising as the Hokage strode in, the Jury following her. Desperately, Sasuke unsuccessfully tried to catch her eyes, wanting some sign that everything would be okay. He stood up next to Kakashi, who looked impassive as he watched Tsunade sit down, the sign that everyone else could also take their seats.

"After talking to the Jury yesterday," Tsunade started. Sasuke frowned. He didn't think they'd be going straight into the jury's decision so soon.

"Outvoting the opposition six-five," The blonde haired woman continued. "As the Hokage and judge, I must announce, that the Kyuubi vessel Uzumaki Naruto, will..." Her words were drowned out by a sudden rise in the speech around Sasuke, but he could read her lips just as easily...

Naruto leapt off the sofa at the sound of the door opening, and rushed into the hall.

"Sasuke! Kakashi! How did it..." He stopped as the raven-haired boy walked straight passed him and up the stairs, ignoring his curious and slightly hurt voice calling up after him.

"Kakashi?" Naruto asked hesitantly, turning to his teacher. The copy-ninja didn't meet his gaze.

"The Jury voted six to five. I'm sorry, Naruto..." His voice betrayed no emotion, but the way the older man refused to look at Naruto told everything.

"We lost, didn't we." It wasn't a question. Kakashi briefly met his stare, before looking away.

"You need to leave in the morning." He said simply, turning away and leaving the house. Naruto watched him leave, and felt the prickling sensation leap up behind his eyes. He brushed the tears away absentmindedly, and turned to walk up the stairs.

"**Kit?"**

_Hmm._

"**What are you going to do?"**

_I don't know. I'll think of something._

He reached Sasuke's room, and was about to open it, when he heard a muffled sobbing. He froze. Sasuke wouldn't want him to see him in this state... slowly, he walked back down the hall and down the stairs.

Naruto looked glumly at the gates. He had never been so upset in his life to see them. He was wearing his usual bright Orange and blue clothes, and on his back was a small backpack. Next to him was Sasuke, who hadn't spoken a word since the day before, and on the other side was Jiraiya, who had insisted in travelling with him to keep up Naruto's lessons.

"NARUTO!" The scream echoed throughout the village, and Naruto found himself buried under Sakura and Hinata, both sobbing.

"I... I d... don't w, want you to l...l..." Sakura buried her head into Naruto's shoulder, while Hinata just cried, clutching onto Naruto's arm.

"Sakura, Hinata, I..." Naruto was stunned, not knowing how to deal with the attention he was getting.

"Naruto, dude..." He looked up as the people who he called friends walked towards him. Kiba, Shino, Neji, Lee, Ten-Ten, Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, Gaara, Kankuro and Temari... All of them had tears running down their faces, or were struggling to stop them from spilling. Even Gaara occasionally wiped his eyes stubbornly. Of course, it might have been all the sand...

"Everyone..." Naruto stared at them all, and couldn't help himself. Tears he had been holding back all day burst forward, streaming down his face in two heavy streams, and he collapsed inwards, vaguely aware of everyone crowding around him, holding him up, crying, hugging him... memories of his friends flooded his mind... Him, Choji, Kiba and Shikamaru slacking off... Neji and Lee, who seemed to have a rivalry as fierce as his and Sasuke's was... Gaara, lying helpless on the floor, staring at him in confusion at the concept of love... Kankuro and Temari, who had been so happy when they visited now, now that their little brother no longer isolated himself... Ten-Ten and Shino, who he knew so little about, but still thought of them as friends... Ino, determined to prove her love to Sasuke... Hinata, so nervous, but brave enough to stand up to her cousin for the first time in her life... Sakura, who had protected Naruto and Sasuke with her life during the Chunnin exams, and without whom, Naruto wouldn't have got even this far...

Sasuke...

Oh Sasuke...

"Kid, we've got to go." Jiraiya interrupted. Naruto nodded regretfully. Jiraiya wasn't interrupting the tearful parting for the hell of it. If Naruto didn't leave soon, then the ANBU would be forced to personally escort him out of the village... and quite forcefully...

"Yeah..." Naruto untangled himself from the arms of his friends, and turned his back, knowing that if he turned now, he wouldn't be able to leave. Voices sobbed goodbye. The only voice he couldn't hear was the only one he **wanted** to hear...

"Naruto..." Starting, Naruto turned, forgetting his banishment, forgetting his friends, even forgetting the impatient Jiraiya, if only to hear his voice once more...

His lips were claimed by Sasuke's, in a kiss full of want, need, desperation...

Love.

"I... I..." Naruto gasped as his mouth finally parted from Sasuke's, tears dribbling from his blue eyes. Sasuke clutched Naruto close to him, resting his chin on top of Naruto's head.

"I know. I know..." He whispered, and nuzzled his nose into the blonde hair. For a moment, nothing else mattered. Not Kyuubi, not Orochimaru, nor Itachi, or the village, or their friends watching them sadly...

It was just the two boys. Completely different, one bright and loud as day, the other dark and sullen as night. Both wrapped too deeply in each other to care about anything. Just to hold each other... just for a little while...

Just... a while... more...

**A note from ME! **So, I lied. It's not the conclusion.

Yep, Sasuke lost the trial. Yep, Naruto has to leave Konoha.

I'll give you a second to make sense of that.

I'm... just gonna go... make sure the doors locked. And the windows are barricaded. And that I've got a large selection of knives to defend myself with...

Please Review! Even if it's to damn me to hell.

Cya next chapter!


End file.
